News of the World, by Paulette Jiles

Characters

Capt. Jefferson Kyle Kidd Maria Luisa Betancort y Real – wife, deceased Olympia – daughter - husband, Mason, killed in war Elizabeth – daughter – husband, Emory, lost arm in war Johanna Leonberger – captured by Kiowa at age six, sold back at age ten Wilhelm and Anna Leonberger – aunt and uncle Britt Johnson – brought Johanna to Capt. Kidd Wife and two children taken captive, he found them and brought them home Simon Boudlin – fiddler Doris Dillon – fiancé Mrs. Gannet – ran livery stable John Calley – married Johanna

For discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from paperback edition.

1. In the War of 1812, Kidd was 16 years old when he was made a sergeant.  He wrote a list of the duties of a sergeant, “…because written information was what mattered in this world” (chapter 3, page 22).  He later was put in charge of transporting prisoners and, “…learned all the devices of interrogation” (page 23).   How did what he learned in the military help him in his future career as a traveling reader and in returning Johanna?
2. In chapter two, Capt. Kidd reflected on the differences between the young and elderly.  For example, he thought young people could dress with less care (page 15) and how much the younger generation liked the latest devices (page 17), in this case a more modern gun.  Could you relate?  How did Capt. Kidd adapt to growing older?
3. Discuss the changes in the children after living with the Kiowa tribe:
1. Britt Johnson’s son almost didn’t want to return to his dad.  He said he, “was on his way to becoming a warrior” (chapter 1, page 10).
2. Britt’s son didn’t like to be inside, roofs bothered him.    He had a difficult time quieting down to study.  He was often afraid.
3. Johanna, “…remained at heart a Kiowa to the end of her days” (chapter 22, page 202).
4. In the author’s note she wrote that children adopted by the Indians totally adapted to their new life, forgetting everything from their early years.  We think of the early childhood years as the most formative.  Why do you think the children so completely forgot everything and adopted the Indian ways?
5. The character who seemed to understand Johanna the best was Doris Dillon.  She said that Johanna had been through two creations (chapter 6, page 56) and that the second, “…tears all the making of the first creation and sometimes it falls to bits.”  Did this help you or the other characters understand Johanna better?
6. What did you think of John Calley?  He appeared three times in the novel: 1.) when he and two friends demanded money from the Capt. Kidd for safe passage (chapter 13), 2.) after one of the readings when he apologized for taking the money and said he only wanted honest work (chapter 15), and 3.) in chapter 22 when he came to San Antonio to see Capt. Kidd and stayed to marry Johanna.  
7. How were the Kiowa values (chapter 22, page 201) different from those of the white people?   How did they make it difficult for Johanna and the others to readjust to their original white culture?
1. Pride in doing without
2. Courage most important trait
3. Animals are food, not pets
4. It is not impolite to stare at what is interesting and to ask pointed questions
8. How did Johanna adapt back to the white lifestyle?   What coping mechanisms do you think she used?  How was she able to have a happy life and marriage?
9. What can we learn from Johanna and Capt. Kidd?
10. Discuss the writing style – no quotation marks, sometimes incomplete sentences (“And a man with a grave look and a silver lapel badge in the shape of a shamrock from Hancock’s Second Artillery Corps, Union.” page 91).  How did this affect your reading?

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